After months of nervous speculation, it's finally the U.S. Supreme Court's turn this week to consider the legal case that could solidify or savage President Barack Obama's landmark healthcare reform law.

Health plans obtained through union collective bargaining agreements often include much more generous benefits than other employer-sponsored plans. But such benefits are likely to be pared down as the Affordable Care Act's excise tax nears, a new study in Health Affairs contends.

The dueling realities that have shaped years of Washington battles over the Affordable Care Act were much in evidence Tuesday as the U.S. Supreme Court prepared to determine the future of the controversial law.

Greater transparency about health plans' provider networks is needed to help consumers understand which doctors and hospitals they can go to without incurring very high out-of-pocket costs, experts agreed Tuesday at a forum sponsored by the Federal Trade Commission.